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ARROW

When Season 4 opens, “The city has declined drastically despite the best efforts of Dig, Speedy and Black Canary,” executive producer Wendy Mericle previews. “And with the arrival of Damien Darhk (Justified‘s Neal McDonough) on the scene, it’s obviously big stakes.” Hence, Oliver and Felicity’s return – though not everyone is welcoming back the archer with open arms. Dig is still “frosty” toward his “brother,” Mericle says, while Quentin still is not thrilled with the masked vigilantes yet has come to see them “as a necessary evil.” Speaking of the Lance clan, Constantine (guest star Matt Ryan) will be “key” in resurrecting Sara, whose presence will be met by “very different reactions” from her family. As for Thea, her secret identity and new love interest (Suburgatory‘s Parker Young) will force her to tackle a challenge Oliver is all too familiar with: “She’s now a superhero, and she wants to have a normal life,” Mericle notes. “How does she balance both of those things?”

BONUS SPOILER!: Mericle shared this cryptic tease after we mentioned a popular fan theory about Oliver running for Mayor: “He will definitely be coming more to the fore as Oliver Queen and balancing that with his new role as the Green Arrow. He’ll be bringing some light to the city. I can’t say exactly how, but that’s his goal.”

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 8/7c (The CW)

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THE BIG BANG THEORY

The honeymoon is over before it begins for newlyweds Leonard and Penny when the latter learns that the former wasn’t being completely honest about a certain North Sea fling. Turns out the girl Leonard smooched “is closer to him than Penny was led to believe,” hints showrunner Steve Molaro. “And, in trying to put that fire out, we meet her.” (As TVLine reported, Mom‘s Melissa Tang will play said other woman, Mandy.) Speaking of relationship drama, Amy and Sheldon explore “taking a step back” in the wake of her season-ending vanishing act, and Howard and Bernadette struggle to make his late mom’s residence “their home and not his childhood home.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Keith Carradine reprises his role as Penny’s dad in the Oct. 5 episode. “She’s married now,” says Molaro. “And she needs to talk to him about that.” 

RETURN DATE: Monday, Sept. 21 at 8/7c (CBS)

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BLACK-ISH

Time waits for no man, particularly not for the Johnson family in Season 2. “We’re going to keep seeing Pops get older; Junior grows a mustache and his voice is changing,” series creator Kenya Barris says, adding that we’ll witness Zoey driving and the twins reaching the age where they don’t want to be referred to as “the twins” anymore. (Oops, sorry.) Meanwhile, Dre and Rainbow will contemplate the end — or is it? — of the childbearing phase of their relationship, Tyra Banks will show up as Dre’s best buddy, and the comedy will continue to tackle race-related topics both serious (use of the N-word) and silly (moisturizing). Regarding the latter: “Black people and white people have a completely different relationship with lotion,” Barris says with a laugh.

BONUS SPOILER!: The comedy “may be saying goodbye” to a familiar face this season, Barris teases.

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9:30/8:30c (ABC)

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THE BLACKLIST

Now that Liz and Red are on the run — from both the FBI task force and The Cabal — the Season 3 premiere “feels like a pilot in and of itself,” according to series creator Jon Bokenkamp. “There’s a really strange and powerful dynamic that [Red and Liz] have. Their resources are so incredible, and they complement each other in a really nice way.” And even though the NBC drama’s third season will still feature “quirky, weird” blacklisters in each episode, exec producer John Eisendrath admits, “The hunt for Red and Liz… is a slightly more serialized story than we’ve told in the past.” One thing viewers shouldn’t expect in the early run of fresh episodes: concrete answers about Liz’s relationship to Red. “In the course of 22 episodes, we will of course give more answers about the past,” Eisendrath promises. “But at the moment the season opens, we are focused entirely on the present.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Paul Reubens will be back as Mr. Vargas for at least three episodes.

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Oct. 1 at 9/8c (NBC)

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BONES

Six months into their early retirement, Booth and Brennan’s peaceful life — which now includes a new son — gets dramatically and suddenly upended when Booth goes missing (a storyline triggered by David Boreanaz’ real-life health crisis). And don’t go pointing fingers at a certain relentless Big Bad. “It’s not Pelant,” maintains showrunner Michael Peterson, who would only allow that the crisis is “a family matter.” The imbroglio will be resolved by the end of Episode 2, but the “impact of what happens will carry us through” Season 11, says the EP. Hodgins and Angela will face a calamity of their own later this fall. “Episode 10 is going to redefine everything for them,” teases Peterson. “It’s going to shake their relationship up in a way I wouldn’t want to go near spoiling.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Booth and Brennan never made good on their threat to get out of dodge (AKA D.C.). “They talked about moving away, but it didn’t quite happen,” says Peterson. “They’re still in the same house when we open the season.”

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8/7c (Fox)

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BROOKLYN NINE-NINE

The Season 3 premiere will pick up, quite literally, where last May’s finale left off: with the arrival of the precinct’s new captain, to be played by SNL vet Bill Hader. “He throws a real wrench into the 9-9,” teases co-showrunner Dan Goor. “He is pathologically obsessed with efficiency, and he makes everyone’s life a nightmare.” But Jake and Amy will be preoccupied with the aftermath of their storage-room kiss, which gets them thinking about “how work would complicate any potential relationship, and how any potential relationship would complicate work,” says Goor. Adds star Melissa Fumero: “It’s not necessarily all smooth sailing.”

BONUS SPOILER!: The precinct will take on one of its toughest cases yet in Season 3: the hunt for a serial killer.

RETURN DATE: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8:30/7:30c (Fox)

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CASTLE

New showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter are rarin’ to “shake things up” as the drama enters Season 8. To that end, Beckett is now captain, a promotion that will “add some drama” to her and Castle’s marriage, though Hawley maintains, “The show has always been and will always be about their love affair.” That said, Kate will deal with a blast from the past “in a way that impacts their relationship.” Seeing Beckett rise in the ranks will light a fire under both Ryan and Esposito, putting that bromance “at odds, but in a fun way.” As for new series regular Toks Olagundoye (The Neighbors), as Scotland Yard officer-turned-security specialist Hayley Shipton, “She brings a fantastic adrenaline shot to the show,” Winter raves. Adds Hawley, “She and Sunkrish Bala (recurring as tech analyst Vikram Singh) bring voices we don’t have, which is nice.”

BONUS SPOILER!: If you were hoping to see [SPOILER] resurface one day, we’ve got bad news — that character won’t ever be returning, for reasons made clear in the season opener.

RETURN DATE: Monday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c (ABC)

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CHICAGO FIRE

Things are looking dark for Casey following his kidnapping, because “what he had to do to survive that ordeal… would haunt a lot of people,” executive producer Matt Olmstead previews. But Dawson’s unexpected pregnancy news pulls Casey out of the doom and gloom. (Too bad it also means she’s no longer a firefighter candidate and has to move to arson.) Meanwhile, Severide’s career takes a knock with the introduction of Brian White’s Captain Dallas Patterson, who takes over running the rescue squad. “A chief comes in above Boden and makes it apparent that Severide’s a hell of a firefighter, but he lists all the people that rotated through the squad,” Olmstead explains. “As far as a manager, he’s not really doing a good job.” But leave it to Severide to find a new love interest (Continuum‘s Rachel Nichols) at a training program he’s forced to attend because he’s been demoted.

BONUS SPOILER!: Sorry, but medic Sylvie’s hook-up with Chicago P.D.‘s Roman was “a one-off,” Olmstead reveals. “Maybe down the road they will [get together], but romances are tough to sustain over two shows.”

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10/9c (NBC)

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CHICAGO P.D.

A “checked-out” Lindsay has Voight and Halstead concerned about her partying ways. While the former realizes he has to move on, her ex isn’t ready to give up on the idea that she’ll return to work. “Halstead’s the one who doesn’t really want to believe it’s true,” exec producer Matt Olmstead previews. But when Lindsay tells him she’s done with Intelligence, “Her champion walks away. So, there’s a lot of self-loathing there for [Lindsay], but she’s incapable of coming back because it’s easier to keep the party going.” In more uplifting news, newly engaged Burgess and Ruzek are “happy” – but not without their issues. “She’s starting to wonder, ‘Is he more into the buzz of being the fiancé as opposed to the day in and day out work of being a husband?'” the EP shares. “That’s something that he might have to confront.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Olinsky’s surprise teenage daughter offers “an uncomfortable window into his past, when he was heavy undercover, lost, living in the garage,” Olmstead says, adding that the detective’s work family “all pitch in to help carry the weight, because it becomes a bit too much to bear.”

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 10/9c (NBC)

The Job

CRIMINAL MINDS

Showrunner Erica Messer believes the show’s audience of 11 years is ready for a “much more serialized” season, so this year’s kicks off with an investigation into “The Dirty Dozen,” a network of hit men that will be “a heavy thing” for Hotch et al to investigate, and a story “that really won’t culminate until the end of the season.” (“It’s a crazy arc,” says cast member Matthew Gray Gubler. “It’s exciting, spooky, team members might be in peril…. Fun stuff as always!”) Speaking of the team, Kate is of course gone and JJ (like portrayer A.J. Cook) is still on maternity leave, so Aisha Tyler will temporarily step in for the latter. “Aisha is such a smart person that playing a really smart character (psychologist Dr. Tara Lewis) is obviously second nature to her,” says Messer. Notes Gubler: “Comedians make the best dramatic actors, and that’s true for Aisha especially.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Amber Stevens will return as Rossi’s daughter Joy in Episode 7, “so that will be a fun thread to pick up,” says Messer. “We would love to have her on a couple times a year.”

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9/8c (CBS)

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ELEMENTARY

After falling off the wagon, “Sherlock is in a dark place, and yet he is invested in a program that he knows can help him come through the other side,” executive producer Rob Doherty previews. At the same time, the P.I. and Joan find themselves benched as consultants while the D.A. decides whether or not to press charges against Sherlock for Oscar’s vicious beating. The season opener also introduces the Senior Holmes, Morland (new series regular John Noble, Fringe), who arrives in New York to check on his son, but the family reunion is “a very icy exchange,” Doherty describes. What exactly happened between the two to sour their relationship? “It certainly has a lot to do with the one member of the Holmes family that we have not met — Sherlock’s mother,” the EP hints.

BONUS SPOILER!: Season 4 will dive into Joan’s own clan. “In a lot of respects, her family situation is as complicated as Sherlock’s,” Doherty says.

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Nov. 5 at 10/9c (CBS)

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EMPIRE

If you fear that last season’s freshman megahit might crumble under the pressure to keep things hip-hopping, don’t. “All we want to do is continue to do Empire, to tell the story of this black family in a way that is relatable to all Americans of all colors, and in the most honest way that we can,” showrunner Ilene Chaiken says. “We want to continue to make the audience gasp and laugh and scream and cry.” (And if the occasional cast member also gasps, even better! To hear Taraji P. Henson tell it, one Cookie scene from the Season 2 premiere so shocked her, she paused filming to check in with the producers. “I was like, ‘Do you really want me to say that?'” the Emmy nominee recalls, “and Ilene was like, ‘That’s what we’re here to do… to f–k s–t up.'”) Chaiken says Cookie will be “unstoppable” in her bid for her own label, while Hakeem is poised to grow the most out of the three sons. In addition to a robust list of guest/recurring stars that includes Mariah Carey, Marisa Tomei, Ludacris (pictured), Chris Rock, Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz, Chaiken says one new character to watch for is named Laura. “I won’t tell you anything about her, but… keep your eye on Laura.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Whoever snitched on Lucious — it wasn’t Cookie, Chaiken insists — may regret the move, as the Lyon king will emerge from jail “more ferocious and more powerful than before.”

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9/8c (ABC)

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FAMILY GUY

Parody seems to be the name of the game — even more than usual — when the Griffins return for Season 14, beginning with an homage to the Paranormal Activity movies that may or may not result in the death of an innocent man. (Spoiler alert: it does.) Meanwhile, Stewie gets diagnosed with ADD, Brian’s new glasses make him more pretentious than ever and Peter faces off against Quagmire in an Iron Chef-style competition to see which of them gets to keep their new cooking show. (Oh, did we forget to mention they each get cooking shows?) Lastly, the Griffin family tree will expand this season following the introduction of Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon as Peter’s pro-wrestling sister, better known by the ring name Heavy Flow.

BONUS SPOILER!: Game of Thrones fans won’t want to miss Episode 2.

RETURN DATE: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 9/8c (Fox)

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THE FLASH

Following last May’s wormhole cliffhanger, the first DC character to take on the Flash title — Jay Garrick (Masters of Sex‘s Teddy Sears) — arrives from the past and becomes a mentor to Barry. But what about the man who guided him until now? “Harrison Wells will be back, but he’s going to be a very different Harrison Wells than we’ve seen before,” exec producer Gabrielle Stanton previews. But how (or should we say, from where/when?) will he return? “We’ve got other worlds. We’ve got other timelines. All I’m going to say is he’s from one of those places,” the EP replies with a laugh. Elsewhere, Iris is dealing with Eddie’s death by throwing herself into her work, so Barry’s eye may turn to police officer Patty Spivot (One Tree Hill‘s Shantel VanSanten), who “becomes a ‘What if?'” possibility for the young hero.

BONUS SPOILER!: Caitlin’s new hubby Ronnie “is going to play a big role in [her] development” – did anyone else feel a chill? – while Cisco’s Vibe journey will take on “a slower burn,” Stanton teases.

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8/7c (The CW)

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FRESH OFF THE BOAT

The ABC comedy’s sophomore season finds Jessica going into business with neighbor-turned-BFF Honey (Chelsey Crisp is now a series regular). “An opportunity presents itself to the two of them,” exec producer Nahnatchka Khan tells TVLine, “and they decide, kind of spur-of-the-moment, to embrace it.” Season 2 will also focus more on Eddie’s younger brothers, Evan and Emery, starting with the premiere. “In the first episode, Evan’s last baby tooth is loose, and it starts to throw him into crisis,” Khan says. “He’s like, ‘But I’m the baby! That’s my brand!’ He starts to struggle with the idea that he’s not going to be the baby anymore.”

BONUS SPOILER!: The Huang family will celebrate a few holidays on screen this year, including one that isn’t often seen on TV. “We really want to do a Chinese New Year episode for February,” Khan hints. “That’s going to be a big event for us.”

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8:30/7:30c (ABC)

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THE GOLDBERGS

Season 3’s Risky Business-themed opener kicks off when Lainey’s (newly promoted series regular AJ Michalka) parents go out of town. “Beverly sees an opportunity to smother another child,” exec producer Adam Goldberg previews. “Lainey’s life is a complete mess, and Beverly’s going to fix it up in three days.” Lainey’s boyfriend Barry and pal Erica have some other ideas, though. “They are pushing for, ‘Your parents are out of town — let’s have an epic party.’ Beverly is the positive influence, and they’re being the negative influence. Who’s going to win out?” As you can probably tell, Barry and Lainey are going strong, while Adam is exploring a long-distance relationship with his sweetie Dana. Also on tap: an episode about giant ’80s hair.

BONUS SPOILER!: Erica’s siblings aren’t the only ones getting some romance. “The main thrust for her this year is her quest to not be like Murray and call every boy a moron,” Goldberg says.

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8:30/7:30c (ABC)

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THE GOOD WIFE

Sparks will fly between Alicia and new investigator Alex (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan), but will Julianna Margulies’ Good wife go there? “F— yes,” declares series co-creator Robert King, who describes the chemistry between the two actors as “tactile,” but also hints that “the Catholic-girl part of” Alicia will be hesitant to embrace such an extramarital affair. Further complicating matters: her husband is gunning for the White House. “One of the things Peter can [use as campaign leverage] is a marriage that went to the brink and now is happy — although reality is different from public perception,” explains King. “Peter knows, without Alicia, he’s just a John who overpaid for a hooker.” Professionally, Alicia will find herself the “underdog again” as she attempts to launch a new practice with zero capital. “She negotiated a very bad deal when she left the firm,” notes King. “And now she’s making $135-a-case as a bar attorney in bond court.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Morgan’s new freelance private eye Alex will be on Lockhart, Agos and Lee’s payroll in addition to Alicia’s, which will add some additional strain between the rival firms.

RETURN DATE: Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9/8c (CBS)

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GOTHAM

Much has been made of Season 2’s “Rise of the Villains” theme, which adds to the mischievous mix billionaire Theo Galvan and his sister Tabitha aka Tigress (played by James Frain and Jessica Lucas) and the superbaddie Firefly, complementing a more powerful than ever Penguin and the emerging Riddler. “Edward [Nygma]’s darker voice is going to manifest itself,” says Cory Michael Smith, “and very literally there will be two Eds, contending with each other.” The effect on do-right Jim Gordon is that “he’s going to be pulled into a bit of darkness, as he fights the good fight,” says newly promoted series regular Morena Baccarin, who plays Leslie. Meanwhile, what Bruce finds inside his father’s batty cave will inform his POV on Dad and Wayne Enterprises as well as impact his already tenuous bond with Alfred. But ultimately, David Mazouz shares, “It will cause Alfred to train Bruce, and the development of Batman will start.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Although Selena has taken a dark turn since Bruce last saw her, “Their relationship is pretty much the same” once they reconnect, Mazouz says. But: “Eventually, something will stop Selena from interacting with Bruce,” leaving him vulnerable to the charms of socialite Silver St. Cloud (The Goldbergs‘ Natalie Alyn Lind).

RETURN DATE: Monday, Sept. 21 at 8/7c (Fox)

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GREY’S ANATOMY

Relax, McDreamy diehards: New cast member Martin Henderson (Off the Map) is not replacing Patrick Dempsey as the new love of Meredith’s life. In fact, romance in general is “not the focus” for the still-grieving widow, maintains series creator Shonda Rhimes, adding, “Meredith’s on a journey and I’m taking her where the journey leads her.” Season 12 will adopt a “lighter” tone, says Rhimes, with Alex and Jo settling into their new home and Callie and Arizona embarking on “exciting” new relationships. April, meanwhile, returns from her latest overseas jaunt to find her marriage to Jackson riding on fumes.

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c (ABC)

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GRIMM

Why, exactly, are there so many Wesen in Portland, anyway? That pivotal question will set the tone for the supernatural drama’s fifth season, says co-creator James Kouf. “It’s the rise of the Wesen, and there’s going to be a big movement going on there,” adds co-creator David Greenwalt. “But at the same time, we’re going to have our good, old-fashioned episodes with Nick [and the gang] solving stuff.” You’ll have to forgive Det. Burkhardt if he’s a bit distracted, though; after all, his mother and girlfriend died in violent fashion in his house, and his former-demon baby mama will have a harrowing time bringing forth their opposite-of-love child. Look for the Nick-Adalind relationship to warm after the spawn arrives, though. “She’s finding another side of herself,” Kouf says. “So is Nick,” Greenwalt adds. In other huge news: The series’ central, somewhat foggy key mythology will be revisited. Or, as Greenwalt puts it, “We’re actually going to explain the damn thing!”

BONUS SPOILER!: This season’s Wesen include a Loch Ness Monster-like creature and a rat king.

RETURN DATE: Friday, Oct. 30 at 9/8c (NBC)

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HAWAII FIVE-0

Given that Gabriel Waincroft threatened Chin Ho just before his cousin walked down the aisle, “Kono and Adam are definitely going to have a very rough start to their first year of marriage,” showrunner Peter M. Lenkov warns. Comparing the new Big Bad to Five-0’s previous tormenter, “Wo Fat’s agenda was very personal, but Gabriel is a bad guy because he’s a bad guy,” Lenkov says. On the lighter side, Chin may find a new lady love (played by Julie Benz), while for reunited Steve and Catherine, “It’s hard to get things back on track, as much as they want to.” Oh, and did we mention the weekend couples retreat that Steve and Danny will unwittingly attend? “That’s a really fun story,” Lenkov promises with a wink.

BONUS SPOILER!: The Halloween episode – about a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein-type trying to resurrect a dead love! – will be both a treat and trick for Danny, who spends the start of it collecting candy at the hospital with son Charlie, only to then dash to the North Shore to pull Grace out of a wild party!

RETURN DATE: Friday, Sept. 25 at 9/8c (CBS)

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HOMELAND

In a twist no one will see coming, Carrie will be smiling when we first see her in the Season 5 premiere (which picks up two years after the Season 4 finale and finds Claire Danes’ leading lady living as a civilian in Berlin). A big source of her happiness: new boyfriend Jonas (Alexander Fehling, pictured). “She’s in a normal, stable relationship,” reveals exec producer Alex Gansa. “This isn’t Brody. Or Quinn. He’s conventional in the best sense. He’s a rock for her.” On the work front, Carrie is employed at a German private security firm — a gig that puts her in the crosshairs of the CIA, specifically ex-boss Saul. And Carrie and Saul are already on chilly terms after she derailed his bid for CIA director. “During the vetting process, Carrie was asked to testify,” explains Gansa. “And she [suggested] that Saul might not be the best person to lead the agency.” Ouch.

BONUS SPOILER!: Carrie and Quinn haven’t seen each other since he left on that covert mission at the end of Season 4. But the two will cross paths “very, very soon” into Season 5, confirms Gansa.

RETURN DATE: Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9/8c (Network)

KATIE FINDLAY, VIOLA DAVIS

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

Showrunner Pete Nowalk has already spilled that the Season 2 premiere will provide the answer to last winter’s cliffhanger: Who killed Rebecca? Yet while the ripple effects of that homicide will lead to another “roller coaster ride” for Annalise & Co., there’ll also be plenty of time for the case-of-the-week element that, Nowalk says, many viewers told him was their favorite part of last year’s freshman hit. “Annalise is a lawyer. She loves her job, and if we don’t see her do her job, she’s not Annalise,” he contends. Similarly, while fresh blood will arrive in the form of Kendrick Sampson (Graceland) and Famke Janssen (X-Men), the third hour of ABC’s TGIF line-up won’t waver from its focus on its core players. Adds Nowalk, “The fun will be in seeing how these new people incorporate into the old characters’ lives.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Remember how Michaela learned in the finale that Laurel had stolen her engagement ring — and had been holding onto it to manipulate her classmate? “There will be fallout,” promises Nowalk.

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10/9c (ABC)

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iZOMBIE

Picking up three months later, Liv is iSad and “largely on the outs with the people close to her,” exec producer Rob Thomas shares. “Major has trouble grappling with what Liv chose not to tell him; Peyton is still gone; and things are understandably tense with any surviving family members she has.” Needless to say, Liv and Major won’t be getting back together, and they’ll even date other people who are “surprises.” Meanwhile, Liv and Blaine – who’s enjoying the best of both worlds as a human (“He’s loving the food and enjoys gloating when he runs into Liv”) and a faux zombie – will end up frenemies as they battle a common foe, Big Bad Max Rager. “Season 2 will have a lot of humans going after zombies, and that will make very strange bedfellows of Liv and Blaine – though not literally,” Thomas adds.

BONUS SPOILER!: Major’s mission in Season 2 is “a big reveal in the first episode,” Thomas teases.

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9/8c (The CW)

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JANE THE VIRGIN

Exec producer Jennie Urman promises “an adrenaline-filled ride” in the Season 2 premiere, with “real emotional weight” and “big comic set pieces,” not to mention answers. But then another season-long, Sin Rostro-related mystery will launch. “You will hear from her in the first episode,” Urman teases. “She is definitely after something, and things escalate.” (Don’t fret, the babynapping will be resolved quickly, with Michael playing an “integral” role in Mateo’s rescue.) The CW darling will also be “building to Jane getting married this year,” so look for the titular heroine to make a choice between baby daddy Rafael and ex-fiance Michael in the first five episodes – not that her pick will necessarily end up being the groom. (Meanwhile, another “interesting wedding” will take place in Episode 5!) As for Jane’s newly, drunkenly hitched parents, Xo and Rogelio, “We’ll see if they stayed married,” the EP hedges.

BONUS SPOILER!: Petra will make a decision about what to do with Rafael’s sperm sample in the season opener, while “people from her past will resurface” in Season 2, Urman teases.

RETURN DATE: Monday, Oct. 12 at 9/8c (The CW)

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LAST MAN ON EARTH

Star and EP Will Forte’s strict anti-spoiler policy prevents us from disclosing too much about Season 2, but here’s what we can share: Phil and Carol — who fled Arizona in the finale — make it all the way to Washington D.C., and even crash at the White House. Additionally, the Tucson crew (Todd, Melissa, Phil No. 2, etc.) will be MIA in the premiere. Phil’s stranded-in-space bro Matt (Jason Sudekis), on the other hand, will put in an appearance in the opener.

BONUS SPOILER!: While in the D.C. area, Phil treats Carol to the sweetest surprise ever..

RETURN DATE: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 9:30/8:30c (Fox)

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LAW & ORDER: SVU

The procedural’s 17th (!) season opens with a two-parter that finds Dallas Roberts (Good Wife) returning as serial killer Greg Yates… wait, isn’t he behind bars? Allow EP Warren Leight to explain: During the Jinx-inspired episode, a body washes ashore “in what was [Yates’] burial ground. So the question is: Is this one of his that they missed? Or is there a copycat? He’s very interested in pushing the copycat theory and putting blame on someone else.” With Rollins growing a little too invested in the case and the squad feeling the pressure of public scrutiny, Benson has her hands full — and that’s before dealing with a possible promotion to lieutenant. But she’s still got little Noah at home… and just maybe some romantic relief on the way. “Is it possible for somebody to wander into her life in the midst of this and fill out the nest?” Leight teases.

BONUS SPOILER!: Asked about upcoming cases, Leight replies: “If you’ve been reading the papers in the last two months, you have a sense of how unhinged a lot of men seem to be in our society.”

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, September 23 at 9/8c (NBC)

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MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

With a cast of 10 to now service, it’s no wonder that Coulson & Co. will face no less than four threats this fall, from a growing crop of Inhumans, the Kree stone that ate Simmons, a mysterious government agency and, of course, Ward’s HYDRA reboot. “These ‘aliens’ are popping up all over the world, without anybody to guide them, so there’s a lot of fear and paranoia,” says exec producer Jeff Bell. That’s where Constance Zimmer’s Inhumans-hunting ATCU (Advanced Threat Containment Unit) comes in. “They really are against us, which forces our team to come together,” says Bell, “whereas we were splintered last season.” Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s other concerns, Bell teases “fun stuff” on the “What happened to Jemma?” front, while Ward will go from being “a vessel of somebody else’s wrath” to his own big, bad boss. Among the good guys, Coulson may sample a “few” hands before settling on the right replacement, while online rumors of May having a diminished role are an “exaggeration,” Bell says.

BONUS SPOILER!: Laying the groundwork for the Bobbi/Lance spinoff is nothing S.H.I.E.L.D. will worry about just yet but “down the road,” says Bell.

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9/8c (ABC)

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THE MIDDLE

Sue’s college experience isn’t off to a great start. “She hopes to have the same kind of drop-off that Axl had with all of the emotion involved, but nothing’s exactly the same,” says EP Eileen Heisler. On campus, “Her roommate situation is not as she had hoped,” and Axl “sets up some rules” now that he and his little sis are attending the same university. Frankie and Mike will even mull over their own version of the Ferber Method, “Where you let the baby cry it out,” when Sue’s relentless texting forces them to consider how much involvement they should actually have in her college life. Meanwhile, Brick is flabbergasted when “giraffe-like” girlfriend Cindy suggests they take their relationship to the next level… mainly because he has no idea what next level means!

BONUS SPOILER!: A newly confident Brick “makes his debut as the mascot for the library,” which is “something the school never really thought it needed,” teases Heisler. “As you can imagine, his fellow students are pretty excited about a reading mascot! [Laughs]”

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, September 23 at 8/7c (ABC)

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THE MINDY PROJECT

While this season opens with a Sliding Doors-esque story — in which Mindy is married to a reality-TV producer played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt — it will play out at the same time as Danny’s experiences in India, EP Matt Warburton tells TVLine. Meeting Mindy’s “ultra-theatrical” mom and “serious” dad (played by House of Cards‘ Sakina Jaffrey and Royal Pains‘ Ajay Mehta) “ends up being really moving for Danny,” the EP adds, laughing. “And then Morgan shows up, too.” Not long afterward, Baby Castellano arrives, causing upheaval both familial (wait ’till you see the grandmas in competition) and professional (additions to the practice in Mindy’s absence include Raising Hope‘s Garret Dillahunt and comedienne Fortune Feimster as “huge new characters” with “big energy,” Warburton previews). Look for Jody, who is basically the anti-Peter, to “challenge Mindy” throughout the season.

BONUS SPOILER!: Warburton says the show will bring back a fan-favorite guest star who isn’t one of Mindy’s exes.

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Sept. 15 on Hulu (weekly episodes)

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MOM

Coming off a Season 2 in which Bonnie’s slip from sobriety caused tremendous tension between herself and daughter Christy, showrunner Chuck Lorre promises “a less adversarial” vibe this fall, saying: “They’re very much on a similar path of recovery and stuttering redemption.” Expect turmoil from outside sources, however. Octavia Spencer’s Regina returns to announce “she’s not an alcoholic and is going to start drinking again, and it really puts that friendship to the test,” says Lorre. Young & Hungry‘s Emily Osment meanwhile will recur as a “sardonic” 19-year-old addict on the run from an abusive relationship who seeks help at the women’s AA meeting, but winds up viewing Christy, Bonnie, et al “as curious relics who don’t have much to teach her. So, we get to explore the arrogance of youth coupled with addiction. That’s a lethal combination that felt worth exploring, hopefully finding some light in the darkness.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Christy gets demoted from her restaurant manager job (to make way for the “ne’er-do-well, party-boy son” of her employers) and also starts dating her baby daddy Baxter’s soon-to-be father-in-law. (Rated A for Awkward!)

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Nov. 5 at 9/8c (CBS)

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NASHVILLE

Though showrunner Dee Johnson won’t reveal whether the season-ending flatline belonged to Deacon or his sister Beverly, she says the matter will be resolved “very quickly” in the Season 4 opener. The premiere also features a one-month time jump and a ticked-off Juliette… who’s technically still under contract with Highway 65. (“Contracts are made to be broken,” Johnson says with a laugh.) In Episode 2, we’ll meet Markus Keen, the self-absorbed rocker played by Riley Smith (True Blood) whom Rayna must appease in order to make her label look legit. “She goes outside the box and brings somebody into the fold, and of course, it’s a classic case of ‘Careful what you wish for,'” the EP says. “Bring in somebody huge, you’re going to get a pretty huge ego, too.” Meanwhile, the Barnes-Barkley family is still on shaky ground. Juliette and Avery “love each other,” Johnson notes. “But sometimes, love isn’t enough, you know?”

BONUS SPOILER!: Will might have second thoughts about coming out at the press conference, Johnson warns.

RETURN DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 10/9c (ABC)

Stop the Bleeding

NCIS

“I’m not going to try to tell you that Gibbs isn’t coming back,” show- runner Gary Glasberg starts. Rather, the question is how the shooting will change Boss. “You have this very old-school view of what being a federal agent is about, and when you get shot and seriously injured by a 12-year-old…. That in our mind changes everything.” Chief among the recuperating Gibbs’ concerns: “Is his team ready for this kind of fight?” against a brutal terrorist network. “And how many lives does Leroy Jethro Gibbs have left?” DiNozzo will step up in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, traveling to Shanghai with Dorneget’s CIA honcho mom, though that will ultimately lead to “tension” between him and Gibbs, says Glasberg. “Tony turned down the opportunity to have his own team years ago. Now he can’t help but look at things and wonder, ‘Is this what I want?'”

BONUS SPOILER!: Bishop and McGee will go undercover… as a Marine and her civilian husband. Says Emily Wickersham, “That should be pretty fun!”

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c (CBS)

NCIS LA

NCIS: LOS ANGELES

In the season opener, Callen’s secretive, rogue investigation into “something,” showrunner Shane Brennan cryptically teases, “creates a lot of tension” between him, Sam and Hetty and will have a “fairly major” payoff midway through the season, in a double-episode event. Other fall outings introduce Deeks’ mom (guest star Pamela Reed), mark the series’ 150th episode (which features a “very funny” undercover op for Kensi and Deeks) and welcome a visit from NCIS‘ Michael Weatherly (whose DiNozzo “is in virtually every scene”). Elsewhere, Eric “wants to be more of a macho man and prove himself,” Brennan says, and to that end he will (amusingly) get weapons training from Sam, while the Internal Affairs investigation that has hounded Deeks “comes to a head.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Bar Paly, who was introduced in the May finale as Arkady Kolcheck’s daughter Anna, will return “in a very unexpected way,” for a “big, big, big storyline,” Brennan shares.

RETURN DATE: Monday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c (CBS)

NCIS New Orleans Season 2

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS

In the Season 2 opener, titled “Sic Semper Tyranis,” Pride and his team plan a dangerous undercover operation to retrieve a stolen missile and prevent an attack on a U.S. Naval ship. “We pick up with a really enormous episode,” says showrunner Gary Glasberg. “When a U.S.-based terror group claims responsibility for stealing a serious weapon, Pride goes undercover – and in the process of that, he becomes sort of a hunted man moving forward.” (And all while dealing with his finalized divorce, to boot!) On the casting front, Shalita Grant and Daryl Chill Mitchell are now series regulars as Percy and Pattton, “and they’re doing phenomenal work,” says Glasberg. “The team is rounding out and I love the vibe we’re getting from the different characters.”

BONUS SPOILER!: Coming off the season-ending murder of his girlfriend, LaSalle (Lucas Black) is “clearly emotionally a bit of a mess, and everyone – from Brody to Percy – sees this in him and comments on it.”

RETURN DATE: Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9/8c

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UNDATEABLE

The writers’ room has spent most of preproduction on the all-live Season 3 pondering a potential “will-they/won’t-they” romance between Justin and the “ridiculously nice and simultaneously naive” Candace, says executive producer Bill Lawrence. Since they shared a first kiss in the Season 2 finale, the hour-long premiere will “deal with that right away,” no matter what path the writers ultimately choose. Elsewhere, Burski will be revealed as an Uber driver, and later take interest in someone other than Leslie, sparking jealousy in Black Eyes’ wine connoisseur. Meanwhile, Shelly faces a fiscal dilemma after years of serving as his family’s provider, forcing the cuddliest member of the gang to live above the bar. (Note: Save for the occasionally commissioned 60-minute installment, Undateable will only go live for the East Coast feed.)

BONUS SPOILER!: Having introduced Justin’s deadbeat dad (The Flash‘s Tom Cavanagh) all the way back in Season 1, we’ll meet “at least one more set of parents, if not two,” in Season 3, Lawrence says. First up? “Danny and Leslie’s folks.”

RETURN DATE: Friday, October 9 at 8/7c (NBC)

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THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

A series of brief three-year flash-forwards will lead to an overarching mystery in Season 7, while simultaneously revealing unexpected futures for Mystic Falls’ finest. One such reveal is a new (yet familiar) man for Bonnie, which executive producer Julie Plec says “will make a lot of sense” (despite the relationship seemingly coming “out of nowhere”). In the present day, Lily (pictured) and her “family” of Heretics will paint the town (blood) red, forcing both Matt and Enzo to decide once and for all what kind of people they’re “willing to be surrounded by.” Following the losses of their lovers, albeit temporarily in one case, Damon and Alaric will find themselves “back on the bourbon wagon” with Bonnie tagging along as their “uninvited chaperone.” And Caroline and Stefan’s relationship will remain “one of the bigger surprises of the season,” as she continues to weigh her feelings for him against her need to regain her sense of self.

BONUS SPOILER!: Expect a major curveball for Stefan and Caroline around Episode 6.

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8/7c (The CW)